Welcome to 'Frakes Frills'!! Do you have an appointment?

So here I am again, that computer illiterate almost 55 yr old that the other gals talked into blogging along with them. It has been awhile because I got busy and it always seemed hard for me to get on the computer to blog and I wasn't always sure what to write about....blah, blah, blah, but I have missed it! Sorry for being gone so long.

I know that most of the gals have been reading Beth Moore's book and posting about that. I have been reading it also but today I want to post about the mission trip that several of us went on a few weeks ago. Next week I'll join in with the discussion.

Some of you may already know that we have a Ladies Mission Workteam at the North Webster United Methodist Church. We have had an active Family Workteam for many years and I always thought it would be neat to take only women so in '06 we went on our first only ladies trip and we've gone ever since!! (see the blog 'God Calls Some of Us to Henderson', 09/24/09 for the blog about our week trip) When we go in September, we have had both a group of ladies that worked a construction job and the group that set up the beauty salon. Last year we decided to go in March for just a few days to only set up the beauty salon.

We just went again this March. It is such an awesome trip, kinda crazy because we leave on Sunday morning, drive for 8 - 10 hours stay until Wednesday morning and drive home another 8 - 10 hours. But let me tell you, the two days that we are there working are so amazing!! Our accommodations are basic but comfortable. We stay upstairs of the cafeteria and have our own room unlike in September when we stay in the dormitory in bunk beds. They serve meals but this time we decided to take our own food so we could eat on our schedule and maybe have time for a few more appointments before stopping for the evening. It was so nice Monday night when after finishing up with the last people and trying to organize things to start again right away the next morning, to come into the little kitchen behind the cafeteria and have a relaxing meal that Debb prepared and set out on the table for us. We were able to enjoy a delicious meal along with the wonderful fellowship. We had a chance then and after our devotions to share moments during the day that touched our heart or about someone we met or something funny that happened. It is always neat to hear the stories - some we are not aware of at the time, even in the small area we are all in together. We have learned that usually there are one or two things that really stand out as exceptional experiences for the trip. We call them our 'God moments'. The reason we were sent there, maybe.

Well, this year Della was one of our exceptional stories, our 'God moment'! She came in on Tuesday late morning and asked if we had any openings. She had heard about the beauty salon while shopping in the Opportunity store ( their Goodwill store) which is across the parking lot. Our schedule was full but for some reason two sisters had not come so Kelly had an opening. As it turned out, Della got the works!! While she waited and we visited, she had the Satins Hands treatment that Kristi did on just about everyone that came thru the door!! Then Della had the wax treatment on her hands which was good for her skin and her arthritis. I'm pretty sure she had a manicure,too. She shared that she'd been helping a friend with her elderly relative and had been working hard. She had heard about the Opportunity store and thought she would come check it out and then found out we had Frakes Frills set up for the day. She shared with Kelly later as she was getting her hair cut and her eyebrows waxed that she had gotten up that day quite forlorn and prayed that God would bless her with a good day that could refresh her soul. She was a quiet gal but very friendly and as Kelly was finishing up, she shared with Della that she was her 'God moment'! I think that maybe we were her 'God moment' too!!!

For those of you that know me well when retelling these 'God moments' it usually makes me cry, tears of JOY in a way, even tho the situations are not always the greatest but we know that God had a hand in it all the way around!! What an AWESOME GOD we serve!! Another thing that was cool about Della, she said she wanted to do something for us and she noticed our sign. (which is a piece of foam board that Kelly used sharpie markers to make and it got rained on and smeared) Was that something she could make for us? She said she was an artist and could do several different things. We have wanted a more permanent sign and had looked into it so now I think we will have Kris build the sign and Della paint it next time we go!! How cool is that!

Going on all these mission trips has shown me that if you belong to God and allow Him to use you, wherever it is, Henderson Settlement in KY, North Webster in your neighborhood or workplace, in the grocery, or in your own hair salon that you can have 'God moments' - some big, most small. And what an opportunity we have to share those moments with others!! I hope you will start looking for these things in your life if you don't already. God bless!